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The Nationals, looking to bounce back from last season’s disappointing finish, had been quiet this offseason — until Monday. That’s when general manager Mike Rizzo announced his entry into the Hot Stove conversation by pulling off a big trade with the Tigers.

Rizzo bolstered his rotation and replaced Dan Haren by acquiring another veteran right-hander, Doug Fister, in exchange for reserve infielder Steve Lombardozzi and young left-handers Ian Krol and Robbie Ray.

Monday also was the last day for teams to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players, with the deadline looming at midnight ET. Any non-tendered player immediately becomes a free agent and can sign with any club.

Among the players reportedly cut loose were pitchers John Axford of the Cardinals, Andrew Bailey of the Red Sox, Daniel Hudson of the D-backs, Jerome Williams and Tommy Hanson of the Angels, Jeremy Hefner of the Mets and Mitchell Boggs of the Rockies; catcher J.P. Arencibia of the Blue Jays; infielders Mat Gamel of the Cubs, Justin Turner of the Mets, Elliot Johnson and Paul Janish of the Braves, Jayson Nix of the Yankees and Chris Getz of the Royals; and outfielders Sam Fuld of the Rays and Ryan Kalish of the Red Sox.

In other news from around the league:

The A’s have added to their rotation by agreeing to a two-year deal with left-hander Scott Kazmir, who resurrected his career with the Indians this season.

The A’s also picked up a closer, with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and MLB Network reporting that they sent second baseman Jemile Weeks to the Orioles for Jim Johnson.

The Blue Jays found a new starting catcher, agreeing to a two-year contract with free agent Dioner Navarro, who is coming off a strong offensive year with the Cubs.

Sources told The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham that free-agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is unlikely to return to the Red Sox, with Rosenthal and others mentioning the Marlins among those currently in pursuit.

Veteran utility man Willie Bloomquist is heading back to Seattle after three years with Arizona.

The Hot Stove was buzzing Monday morning and afternoon, as a handful of deals went down.

The headliner was left-hander Scott Kazmir agreeing to a two-year deal with the A’s.

Kazmir, who turns 30 in January, finished the season 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 158 innings for the Indians, who took a chance on the former first-round Draft pick via a Minor League deal shortly after the lefty finished a stint with the Sugar Land Skeeters in independent ball.

Before this year, Kazmir had last pitched in a Major League game in April 2011.

Other notes from Monday:

The Blue Jays and veteran catcher Dioner Navarro agreed to a two-year contract believed to be worth $8 million.

The Yankees sent catcher Chris Stewart to the Pirates for a player to be named later, which frees a roster space for the Yankees.

New York also officially announced a two-year contract with infielder Brendan Ryan reportedly worth $5 million with a mutual option for 2016.

The Tigers agreed to a one-year, $1-million deal with infielder/outfielder Don Kelly.

The Rays, interested in a left-handed hitting first baseman, have talked with the Rangers about Mitch Moreland.

The Yankees have made an offer to right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, according to ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand. The Yanks offered Kuroda a qualifying offer ($14.1 million), which he turned down.

The Blue Jays have agreed a two-year, $8-million deal with free-agent catcher Dioner Navarro, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

The deal is pending a physical, per Rosenthal.

Navarro, who turns 30 in February, is coming off one of his best seasons. Navarro hit a career-high 13 home runs while batting .300/.365/492 in 89 games in a backup role with the Cubs.

Navarro has played 10 years in the Majors, posting a career .251/.313/.371 line. He played five years with the Rays, where he was an All-Star in 2008, and also has been with the Yankees, Dodgers and Reds.

As Rosenthal mentions, Navarro’s signing would give the Jays four catchers on their 40-man roster, possibly leading to a trade of incumbent J.P. Arencibia.

The Rangers officially introduced Prince Fielder on Monday, five days after acquiring the slugging first baseman from the Tigers for Ian Kinsler.

The move likely doesn’t signify the end of the club’s offseason maneuvering, however. Our T.R. Sullivan writes that while the Rangers are not expected to go after free-agent second baseman Robinson Cano, they are looking to add another impact bat to their lineup, either at the top or in the middle.

One of those available big bats belongs to free-agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. Speaking of Choo, our Mark Sheldon explores the question of whether the Reds could bring him back to Cincinnati, meeting his significant contract demands.

In other news from around the league:

Veteran right-handed pitcher Dan Haren officially came off the board on Monday, when the Dodgers announced his one-year contract.

After adding a center fielder (Peter Bourjos) and a shortstop (Jhonny Peralta) over the past week, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak didn’t close the door on his offseason shuffling but added that, “if the clock stopped today, we’d be pretty happy with our club.”

The Yankees’ signing of free-agent catcher Brian McCann signals the club’s aggressive intentions this offseason after falling short of the playoffs in 2013, writes MLB.com columnist Mike Bauman. Along those lines, a move for free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran could be on the way.

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos addressed his team’s search for a starting pitcher, most notably the Cubs’ Jeff Samardzija.

Veteran righty A.J. Burnett hasn’t decided if he will pitch in 2014, but if he does, the market could push him out of the Pirates’ price range.

The Tigers and free-agent reliever Brian Wilson are in “serious” negotiations, a source has told The Detroit News. It appears that Wilson, and not Joe Nathan, is Detroit’s primary target to fill its closer role.

Elsewhere in the American League Central, The Kansas City Star reported that the Royals are open to dealing from their bullpen depth, especially righty Aaron Crow or lefty Tim Collins.

There were a few minor trades executed on Monday, with the Padres swinging a three-player deal with the Pirates and swapping pitchers with the Orioles, while the A’s picked up a left-hander from the Nationals. The Pirates also cleared 40-man roster space by designating first baseman-outfielder Garrett Jones for assignment.

Our Doug Miller looks at what’s left on the free-agent market in The Week Ahead.

The Marlins are looking into signing catcher Dioner Navarro and pitcher Phil Hughes, according to the Miami Herald.

Rather than making a splash and going for free agents like Brian McCann or Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Mooney cites a source as saying the Cubs have interest in the more low-profile Suzuki. He spent time with the Nationals and A’s last year — two fine pitching staffs — and could be a strong candidate to help mentor Castillo.

Mooney says fellow Cubs catcher Dioner Navarro has priced himself out of Chicago and will likely end up elsewhere so he can get more playing time.

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